WildSTEM Is Blooming

With Links chapters all over the country and a few outside of the U.S., WildSTEM has been blooming since 2019. Check out part one of this blog to understand the foundations of our WildSTEM partnership with The Links Incorporated, and continue reading to get a peek into some recent WildSTEM wins!

1. WildSTEM Summer Internships 

The Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge and local Links chapters in Columbia (MD) and Harbor City (MD) have launched a summer WildSTEM internship program. This six-week, paid internship introduces college students to wildlife science, careers in conservation, and opportunities for community engagement. Students build their resumes and network with experts from the Maryland Port Administration, Living Classrooms Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Aquarium, among other professional spaces.

2. A 106-Year-Old Joins The Links in the Annual Great Backyard Bird Count 

Over the years, The Links have continued to expand WildSTEM activities and resources to engage chapters in meaningful environmental education. This year, The Links hosted their 5th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Audubon Society’s nationwide initiative to observe and document bird species in local communities. 

Generations old and young have come together to participate in backyard bird counts across the country. This effort has been tremendously successful, with 46 percent of members of the Port City (TX) Chapter of The Links participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count last winter.

3. Blacks In International Conservation & Minorities in Marine Science 

The WildSTEM program has bloomed, supporting various partnerships and events over the years. The Patuxent River (MD) Chapter of The Links hosted a Black Pioneers in International Conservation and WildSTEM Career Awareness Day at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.This half-day program was led by Mariko Bennett and her fellow International Trends and Services Facet chapter members to support junior high and high school girls in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia.

This program’s goal was to inspire young women of color to pursue careers in conservation, encourage environmental action, and emphasize the ‘One Health’ approach linking human, animal, and environmental well-being. 

Participants explored the zoo through a guided behind-the-scenes tour and scavenger hunt, followed by a thought-provoking conversation on climate change and environmental justice. The event concluded with a professional mentoring panel, moderated by conservation leaders, such as Dr. Kim Jefferies Leonard, past national president of The Links, Incorporated.

The speakers highlighted the impact of pollution and climate change while showcasing career pathways in international conservation and various WildSTEM industries. This event was hosted in collaboration with: 

• The Smithsonian National Zoological Park
• The National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s Metropolitan Washington D.C. Chapter
• Global-Minded, Empowered, and Motivated for Success (GEMS)
• Girls Inc.
• Prince William County (MD) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated

4. Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) 

The Links Incorporated has fostered partnerships with organizations such as MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) and NSBE, Jr. (National Society of Black Engineers) to bring enhanced STEM education to their students. Dr. Anna Lamikanra is a member of the Greater Denton County (TX) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and a member of the Gamma Alpha Omega Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority in McKinney, TX.

Last December, Dr. Lamikanra and the Gamma Alpha Omega Zeta MANRRS chapter held an educational outing at The Donkey Haven in McKinney, TX.

This event combined hands-on animal science education with community service, providing students and attendees with a unique look into equine biology. The students engaged in an interactive session focused on the biological and evolutionary traits of donkeys and their relatives.

5. STEM-Exposed National Watch Parties 

The LINKS-STEMREADY committee pioneered two ‘STEM Exposed National Webinar Live Watch Parties’ where chapters across the country brought students and community members together for an engaging and interactive STEM experience. 

“As an African American female engineer, I know that exposure changes outcomes. These webinars open doors by making STEM real, relatable, and attainable for students who are too often left out of these conversations. By connecting young minds to fun and engaging content along with professional and student trailblazers, entrepreneurs, and scholars who look like them, STEMExposed builds confidence, sparks curiosity, and helps students see themselves as future innovators. Sharing this knowledge matters—it plants seeds of possibility and ensures our students are prepared to lead in STEM careers, unlocking potential and launching our students toward revolutionary innovation, and bold, imaginative, and limitless futures.”

-Diann Dixon Jackson, member of the LINKS-STEMREADY National Signature Program Committee

STEM Exposed Part One, hosted in November 2024, focused on exploring the intersection of chemistry, chemical engineering, personal care, and the environment.

Forty-six chapters of The Links participated in hosting live watch parties, engaging more than 4,025 students. Some of these students were representative of an entire middle school district that attended the webinar. Highlights Included: 

• Honored guest speakers were Heman Bekele, the 2024 Time Magazine Kid of the Year, his 3M Young Scientist mentor Deborah Isabelle, and Hakeem Henry, a Palmolive Quantum Chemist at Colgate. 
• The Links gave away 8 computers from the Lenovo Foundation and Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Future educational materials to over 25 national chapters.

The Links returned stronger with a 2025 Earth Day-themed summit focused on showcasing STEM stars, such as National Wildlife Federation Conservation Scientist Corina Newsome, who spoke about being an ornithologist, birder, and science communicator. This event reached over 4,000 students across 43 different watch parties at local schools. Two entire school districts participated! Other guest speakers included:

• Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant (NBC Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom Television Host)
• Jordan Roberts (Marine Biologist, Performing Artist)
• West Muhammad (14-year-old HBCU Cybersecurity Engineering Major)
• Temple Lester (Teenager/Entrepreneur, STEM Girls Swag)
• Zoe Oli (13-year-old TED Talk youngest and CEO of Beautiful Curly Me)

The Links team distributed 16 Lenovo tablets, $2,000 in gift cards, and Beautiful Curly Me STEM dolls. 

6. WildSTEM goes Global  

The Links Incorporated has brought our WildSTEM curriculum directly to schools across Jamaica. The Oakland County (MI) and the Essex County (NJ) Chapters of The Links worked with a fourth-grade class to plant the first Certified Wildlife Habitat at St. Mary’s Preparatory School in 2021. Four gardens have been established in the years since, led by the James River Valley (VA), Reston (VA), and Montgomery County (PA) Chapters.

The Links have coordinated annual trips back to Jamaica for the past seven years, where they host a day full of interactive activities and lessons based on a regionally tailored STEAM/WildSTEM curriculum. 

Advancing Our Joint Vision for Diversity in Environmental Careers

Our WildSTEM partnership, at its core, is a community-oriented program led by many of the wonderful women of The Links, that leans into service learning through local projects and that strengthens pipelines into STEM and green careers for Black and brown youth, while adding Certified Wildlife Habitat gardens where people live, serve, learn, play, and worship. 

The curriculum provided by the National Wildlife Federation, along with the diverse network of The Links, Incorporated members and partners, makes this partnership one of a kind. Dozens of gardens have been established across the globe, and thousands of budding environmental leaders have been reached through our programming. From Pre-K through to higher education, we have a presence in fostering young talent and mentoring students during every phase of their journey to becoming environmental stewards. 

The National Wildlife Federation is proud to collaborate with The Links, Incorporated, in our joint mission to advance equity and diversity in the environmental field by investing in Black and brown youth. As we enter the 7th year of this partnership, we remain steadfast in these commitments.